We decided to spend the first night away from Savusavu just around the corner at the Costeau Resort. We anchored off their wharf and took our dinghy in for cocktails at the resort bar. It was a nice evening. After a short stay ashore, we went back to the boat for dinner, put the dinghy on the deck and went to bed. We wanted to get an early start for the trip to Nambowalu, located on the southwest tip of Vanua Levu. We left the next morning and headed straight for Nasonisoni Pass, the pass through the reef into Wainunu Bay and Nambowalu. Nambowalu wasn't much. Its just a government town with anchorage in an open roadstead. We left early the next day, Friday, June 18th, in the company of John and Ariana on By Chance. We crossed Bligh Waters with them and went through the reef at Nananu Pass and on to Nananu -i-ra Island, just off of Viti Levu. Most of the navigation markers in Fiji are in disrepair. So, its imperative that you have good sunlight to see the coral reef dangers that lie below the surface. Fiji was, by far, the most difficult place we've been to date with regard to navigation. Even the recent charts we had were not always accurate. So, it is challenging.
After anchoring at Nananu-i-ra, we took the dinghy off the boat and explored the island. The island is a favorite for windsurfers. The breeze is often quite strong on the eastern side of the island and enthusiasts come from all over to wind and kite surf here. We found two pretty "economical" resorts and two small beach restaurants along with a number of nice private vacation homes. We enjoyed it here so much we stayed an extra night before pushing on. On Sunday, June 20th, we sailed west in the passage through the reefs along the north side of Viti Levu. That night, we stopped and anchored at a deserted spot called Vatia Bay. John & Ari caught a wairu on the way over. So, we had a fresh fish dinner with them underneath a beautiful star filled night sky. The only light we could see anywhere came from a farm house about four miles away. The next morning, we left Vatia Bay for the marina at Denerau. Its on the west side of Viti Levu and not far from Nadi, where Fiji's international airport is located. We noticed a dramatic change in the climate and landscape as we pushed west. It changed from lush green hills nurtured by frequent rain to arid hills with constant sunshine. We arrived at Denerau the afternoon of June 21st. We found it to be mainly a commercial port where tourists go for excursions or passage to the resorts on the outlying islands. We stayed there for a few days to top off our batteries with the available shore power and to fill our water tanks with fresh water. On Friday, June 25th, we departed for Musket Cove on Malalo Lailai Island in the Mamanuca Group, not far away.
Musket Cove, probably more than anywhere we have been in the South Pacific, encourages and caters to yachties. They've set a large number of moorings and built a small marina for visiting boats. There's even an inner harbor where a boat may be tied down to shore anchors to stay during the cyclone season. They've also formed the Musket Cove Yacht Club and we joined and became lifetime members. I might add that any skipper who arrives from an international port can become a lifetime member by paying the grand sum of $1 and any crew member can do the same for $5. So, we decided to dig deep into our pockets and spring for it!
There's a lot to do at Musket Cove. Every morning a small group of us would get up and hike the trails on Malalo Lailai for exercise. The views were great and, now that we were on the dry side of Fiji, the weather was sunny almost every day. All the amenities of the resort are available to the yachties. So, if you want to lay on a hammock on the beach or snorkel or dive the nearby reefs, its all available to you. There's a second resort on Malalo Lailai on the south side called The Plantation. They, too, welcome visitors for dinner or cocktails or to use the facilities, like their tennis courts, which we did. Several other resorts were just a short sail away. It truly is the kind of place you dream about, a cruiser's paradise.
The diving and snorkeling on the reefs around Musket Cove was spectacular. Our friend Al on Different Worlds took this photograph of a well disguised stonefish on one dive. The variety of sea life in these reefs was enormous. We made the trip out to the same reef in our dinghy several times just to take it all in. By the way, if you're having trouble seeing the fish, note the curved down mouth on the left side and the eye which appears yellow.
On July 4th, we decided to get ambitious and climb to the top of neighboring Malalo Island. It took us four hours round trip. We had some great views of the neighboring Yasawa Group, the rest of the Mamanuca Group, Malalo Lailai (behind us in the photo) and Viti Levu (in the far distance). We also found remnants of a WWII fortress at the top of the peak. One book we read said it was Aussies, another said Kiwis and a third said American soldiers kept a lookout for the Japanese from here. Whoever it was, they apparently shot down at least one plane. We were told you can dive on it near the fringing reef.
This is the view looking west from the top of Malalo Island. The photograph shows the other islands in the Mamanuca Group and just the beginning of the much larger Yasawa Group. As you can see from the photo, there are many spots to drop an anchor on this side of Fiji. And the reefs are pretty visible since the weather cooperates better here than the soggy eastern side of Fiji.
It didn't take much effort for us to just stay at Musket Cove. We'd been warned by others to be sure to see all we wanted of Fiji before coming here. They were right. Its hard to leave. You're just too comfortable. We stayed for over a month! And, many of our yachting buddies did the same. We had a big July 4th celebration put on by the resort complete with hot dogs, fireworks and music provided by some very talented yachties. It was interesting that they celebrated America's independence day as there were far more people here from Australia and New Zealand than the States. In fact, there were almost as many Canadians as Americans. But, no one seemed to care. It was an excuse for a party. We also had another big Puddle Jump 2002 reunion party which consisted of many of the people that crossed with us from Mexico or the Marquesas in 2002.
Musket Cove is renowned for its famous three dollar bar. Not only do they sell cold Fiji Bitter beer for $3 Fijian (about $1.65 US), but, they also provide fire pits to cook your dinner along with complimentary silverware, plates and picnic tables. On Sunday, they offer baked potatoes, garlic bread, salad and pies for a very modest fee. Many of the yachties came here every night just to socialize and enjoy a pretty inexpensive meal.
After a month in this idyllic spot, we began to think about moving on. There was still a lot more to see between Fiji and Australia. So, we waited for a good weather window and made our preparations to leave Fiji. Its a wonderful place and we do hope to return some day and see more.
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